Combined cut-out and ground-switch for telegraph and telephone lines



No Model.) 1 THROP. J

GOMBINED GUT-OUT AND GROUND SWITCH EOE TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE LINES.

No. 284,031. PatentediAug. 28,1883.

UNITE STATES PATENT Orricn.

CHARLES HENRY LOTHROI, OF LYONS, IOWA.

COMB INED CUT-OUT AND GROUND-SWITCH FOR TELEGRAPH AND TELEP HONE LINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,031,'da ted August28, 1883.

. Application filed January 13, 1883. (N model.)

To all whom, it may concern: 7

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. LOTHROP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lyons, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Out-Out andGround-Switch for Telegraph and Telephone Lines; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to combine in one instrument a cut-outand ground-switch applicable to any form of electrical apparatus, andwhich shall be more convenient, less cumbersome, and more practical thanthose devices in which plugs and slides are used for these purposes.

It consists of a combination of a switch-lever, an indicator, metallicstrips, and the main lines and ground lines of telephone or telegraphicinstruments, as hereinafter described.

It is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is atop plan View, and Fig. 2 a bottom plan view, of the instrument.

The parts are shown connected to a tablet, L, which can be applied toany suitable support by means of screws througlrholes D.

G is a switch-lever, to which is attached, on the upper surface of thetablet, the pointer h.

I On the under side of the tablet a metallic strip, I, is pivoted to thelever andbent at right angles therewith, and is connected by a cross-armor strip, 0, of non-conducting material, to an opposite arm or strip, M,pivoted to screw m. The pivoted strip I is connected to the ground-lineD by strip K, and the pivoted strip M is connected with thefmain line A.by strip N. The side movement of the strips I and M is limited by thescrewsj.

B is a binding-post or electrode, to which is attached a wire, H,leading to a telephoneinstrument, and G a binding post or electrodeconnecting with a wire, H, leading to a telegraph-instrument. The wire Halso connects the telephone and telegraph instruments.

0 is a similar stripv connecting binding-post O with arm I.

E is a metallic strip or electrode connected by insulated wire 9 toelectrode F.

The operation of the instrument is as follows: WVhen the apparatus isturned 'upon Telephone, as shown by the indicator in dotted lines, Figs.1 and 2, the current passes from the main line A through strip N M and Bto instrument B, thence through that instrument or telephone to O, andthen passes off over the ground-line D through strips 0,

I, and K, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. Then the indicator is turnedupon Cutout, Z the apparatusnot only acts as a cut-out, as theinstrument or telephone is cut out com pletely from the circuit, butalso as a groundswitch. The current now takes the following course, asshown in Fig. 2. It passes from the main line A to E, thence through theconnecting-wire g to F, and from thence over I out the ground-line D. Itwill be seen by this change the instrument (telegraph or telephone) iscompletely cut out, making it impossible for the current in the case oflightning striking the wires to injure the instrument in any manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a device for cutting out telephone and telegraph instruments fromthe main line, the combination of two movable metallic strips or armsmechanically connected with and electrically insulated from each other,two connecting-electrodes with metallic connections, adapted to formpart of the main line, and two cut-out electrodes metallicallyconnected, adapted to form part of the main line, substantially as andfor the purpose herein specifled.

2. In a device for cutting out telephone and telegraph instruments fromthe main line, the combination of the connecting-electrodes B O,connecting-wire H, cut-out electrodes E F,

connecting-wire g, and two movable metallic line, substantially as andfor the purpose herein the same time is connected with or out out ofspecified. the main line, substantially as described. 1c

3. The combination of the switch-lever, the In testimony whereof I afiixmy signature in indicator, the instrument or instruments, the presenceof two witnesses.

5 main line the insulated connecting-wire, the CHARLES HENRY LOTHROP.

pivoted arms, and the connecting-strips,where- XVitnesscs: by, when theindicator is turned so as to point ARTHUR J. FOSTER,

to the instrument or cut-out the instrument at CHAS. OsBoRN.

